Glasgow councillors have banned a taxi advert for containing the word "bum", and threw out a senior PR director when he demanded an explanation.

The advert, run by Glasgow-based Greaves Sports for Reebok EasyTone trainers, features a woman’s legs and the slogan “better legs and bum with every step”, and has been featured in major cities across the world, including Barcelona, New York and Berlin. 

At a meeting of the city’s licensing and regulatory committee, a majority of councillors rejected the application by Greaves to run the advert on city taxis. At one stage the meeting became so heated Greaves' director of communications, Stephen McCranor, was thrown out.

Mr McCranor was escorted from the room for pointing out that taxi ads promoting lap-dancing bars had been allowed and that adverts for council-run gyms feature the word “bum”, and demanding an explanation of the council's apparent double standards.

Mr McCranor also objected that many holiday adverts run in taxis feature women in bikinis. One councillor in particular is believed to have asked Mr McCranor to stop talking. When he kept talking, he was escorted from the meeting.

Earlier, Councillor Anne Marie Miller had asked Mr McCranor why a shot of the bottom was needed. She said: "What’s this got to do with trainers? I don’t wear trainers, I wouldn’t know.”

At another point, a councillor asked: “Why do the legs have to go right up to her backside?” to which Mr McCranor replied: “Where do yours go to?"

Speaking to STV News, Mr McCranor said: "Their objections are ridiculous, especially as the advert designed to cover the taxi only contained snaps of the model's legs. It is extremely disappointing that a multi-million pound campaign which is acceptable in major cities all over the world is deemed unacceptable by a Glasgow City Council committee.

“The committee seemed to object on moral grounds due to the use of bare legs, which is ironic when you come out of City Chambers and see taxis on the road advertising lap dancing venues. We’re simply advertising a pair of shoes which helps tone up your legs and backside, in line with a global campaign run by Reebok.

“These are challenging economic times, particularly in retail, as an independent retailer which has been operating in the City since the 1930s, it’s surprising and hugely unhelpful that the council shows such a lack of commercial awareness and regard for one of its most established local businesses.”

Councillor Gilbert Davidson, who chaired the licensing and regulatory committee meeting, said: "The committee considers each advert on its own merits and, if necessary, takes a democratic vote on whether it should be approved.

 “On this occasion, the majority view was that some of the text - and also the image, which showed a pair of bare legs from just below the backside - were not appropriate.”

In the final vote, the committee was split, with Ms Millar, Mr Davidson and councillor Willie O’Rourke, all Labour, voting against while Labour councillor Tommy Morrison and SNP councillor John McLaughlin voted in favour of the ads.